"Buzz..."
The phone in Edith's hand vibrated as a message from Frank flashed across the screen, "Edith, make sure you get Alston to help our E Family.
The E Family is counting on you now!"
Edith pulled the corners of her mouth contemptuously and sucked in a deep breath. The coolness spread instantly in her heart.
"Tsk..."
Opening his mouth only when he wanted Edith's help, but never saying a word of thanks to Edith - this was her father, Frank.
Back then, because of the economic crisis, the Alston family was nearing bankruptcy. Edith's family's older generation had saved the Alston family members, and the two families set up a marriage contract for Edith and Alston.
Now Frank had the nerve to take the initiative to contact the Alston family. Using Edith as his fiancée as the reason to force Alston to marry Edith so that Frank could use the financial strength of the Alston family to save the Edith family group.
In the end, the Alston family bought Edith's two years of youth for five hundred million. After two years, the absurd marriage between Edith and Alston was dissolved.
Alston had never even glanced at Edith. He just let the assistant handle their marriage license and then went abroad to expand the A Group's business.
In the two years he was gone, he only left Edith a residential property and left her to be self-sustaining domestically until recently when Alston took over thirty per cent of the overseas market, re-planning the market landscape, only then coming back here.
Edith felt that Alston hated her. Even Edith hated this ridiculous marriage, but she had to reconcile with Alston for the E family's sake.
Edith hoped that in the most private and upscale club in the city, E. Green, Alston would show her some mercy and not humiliate Edith or her father Frank of the E family before kicking her out.
Edith didn't want to cause a scene with the city's rich and powerful characters as spectators.
She looked up at the mahogany door engraved with dark gold filigree patterns and raised her hand to knock lightly.
"Mr. Alston, I'm Edith."
No answer.
"Mr. Alston, are you there?"
Still no response.
Edith tried pushing the door, and it opened. She walked in directly.
Edith's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she entered.
The room was dark except for the light coming from the bathroom. There was no sound of water, but a clear water trail curved and crawled into the darkness ahead.
The trail had been left shortly before.
Edith's heart dropped.
She turned to run out, but the door slammed shut.
A large hand suddenly reached out from the darkness, grabbing her.
Edith nimbly dodged and wrapped her arm around the direction of the arm, raising her leg to strike.
But the man grabbed her ankle and slammed her against the wall.
Edith was in pain for a split second before the man ripped her trousers, pushed them up and pinned her knees down with his long legs. He confined her hands above her head in his large hands.
Not allowing Edith to refuse, the man pressed his body down.
His unfamiliar scent overwhelmed her senses, and his rude behaviour boiled her entire body.
In the back of her mind, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to resist or obey.
The sensation disturbed Edith. With her mouth open, she bit down hard on the man's neck.
Edith noticed the man's unfamiliar scent and behaviour - this was not the elegant Alston she knew. She wondered if he had been drugged and that's why he was acting so out of character and aggressive.
The fishy, sweet liquid flowed into Edith's mouth, and the man only muffled a grunt.
His actions never stopped.
Don't know how much time passed after the door was knocked again.
"Mr. Alston?"
It was Alston's assistant Peter inquiring through the door.
Alston suddenly opened his eyes, and only when he heard Peter's voice did the wariness and hostility fade.
He casually grabbed his bathrobe and put it on, not even looking at Edith as he opened the door and headed out.
Alston had been at the E. Green meeting but suddenly left to rest. With no news for almost four hours, Peter grew uneasy and came to look for him.
"President Alston, are you alright?"
Seeing the redness and fatigue in Alston's eyes, Peter asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
Thinking of Edith, Alston subconsciously locked his eyebrows, his voice dropping two points.
"Frank said Miss Edith would be seeing you today."
"What?"
Alston leaned exhaustedly against the door.
"Isn't five hundred million enough for the E family and E Group to spend?"
His eyes were disdainful, words sarcastic, as he thought of Frank coming to him with a marriage contract two years ago.
"I heard E Group has another problem and desperately needs money,"
Peter answered.
Alston, impatient after the day's events, said,
"Tell Frank his daughter isn't worth five hundred million. "
"That money bought the A family's promise. "
"Tell him to get lost and not bother me again!"
I'm not worth five hundred million?
Lying in bed, Edith heard Alston's humiliating words.
The flush faded from her face, replaced by a visible white pallor.
Edith had seen several interviews with Alston on TV, talking extraordinarily, elegant, not like his behaviour today.
She thought Alston might be able to understand that her body could not help responding but did not expect him to value her so cheaply in his heart...as an item to be priced, or a cheap one at that.
Edith smiled bitterly to herself. She endured the soreness and weakness in her lower limbs to softly get off the floor and dress herself.
She threw the pile of things from her pockets onto the bedside table. Then she opened the window. Before lifting her leg to climb out, she turned back and skimmed Alston's clothes thrown haphazardly on the floor.
She couldn't just leave it at that.
Edith slipped the rubbish bag from the bin over her hand.
Disgusted, she caught Alston's underwear between two fingers and pushed back with her wrists as she leapt out of the window.
Edith landed on the ground, tumbling a few times before coming to a stop. The conspicuous men's underwear hung prominently on the window handle.
Glancing back at the richly decorated façade of E. Green, her eyes finally landed on the room where the underwear hung so openly. Edith's eyes held little emotion as she tightened her jacket and disappeared into the night with a swift stride.
Outside the room, Alston did not know what was happening inside. He coldly asked Peter to go back to his room to deal with the woman he had a one-night stand with after he went to investigate who had drugged him.
Peter froze and seemed to realize what had transpired in the four hours Alston disappeared. He quickly left.
"Take the money and get out of here now."
The room remained unlit.
Not wanting to see the woman's face, Alston shouted into the darkness.
There was no response, not even a sound. Alston assumed the woman wanted to cause more trouble and frowned as he switched on the light. He found the room empty.
He walked quickly to the bathroom, also empty.
The mess on the bed confirmed what had happened was not a dream, but where was that woman?
The wind gently blew the curtains. Light shone through the cracks and Alston sprinted to the window, pulling the curtains open forcefully. His face contorted with anger.
The window was open, and his underwear still hung outside. It appeared the woman had jumped out and escaped!
Alston's face blackened and he punched the wall, leaving a visible dent.
How dare this woman take advantage of him and humiliate him by hanging his underwear for all to see? He was seething with anger and vowed revenge.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" he shouted.
What was this?
Fleeing from a crime?
Trying to humiliate him after the fact?
This woman would pay for what she had done!
He was seething with anger and vowed revenge.
This woman would pay for humiliating him so!
The fire of anger still burnt steadily when something on the bedside table refracted light, catching Alston's attention.
Something the woman had left behind.
Alston walked over to it, expecting it to be something that would give him a clue to catching this bold woman, the anger in his eyes increased when he looked at it, and with a swing of his arm, he knocked the object right off the bedside table.